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New York Tenant’s Guide to Smoke-Free Housing

New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Center for public health and Tobacco Policy New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Table of Contents Summary ..1. health effects of secondhand smoke ..2. Short-term solutions .. 3. Legal rights of New York State tenants ..4. Working towards a Smoke-Free policy.

Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy New York Tenants’ Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants’ Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants’ Guide ...

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Transcription of New York Tenant’s Guide to Smoke-Free Housing

1 New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Center for public health and Tobacco Policy New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Table of Contents Summary ..1. health effects of secondhand smoke ..2. Short-term solutions .. 3. Legal rights of New York State tenants ..4. Working towards a Smoke-Free policy.

2 6. Citations .. 8. This Guide is based on Going Smoke-Free : A Guide for Tenants developed by the public health Advocacy Institute for the Massachusetts Department of public health . It has been adapted for use with the permission of the public health Advocacy Institute and the Massachusetts Department of public health . This Guide is based on Going Smoke-Free : A Guide for Tenants developed by the public health Advocacy Institute for the Massachusetts Department of public health . It has been adapted for use with the permission of the public health Advocacy Institute and the Massachusetts Department of public health The Center for public health & Tobacco Policy smoke free Housing New York at New England Law | Boston 154 Stuart St.

3 Boston, MA 02116. Contact: Phone: 617-368-1465. Fax: 617-368-1368. E-mail: The Center for public health & Tobacco Policy is a resource for the New York tobacco control community. It is funded by the New York State Department of health and works with the New York State Tobacco Control Program and its contractors to develop and support policy initiatives that will reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in New York. SmokeFreeHousingNY is comprised of community partnerships funded by the New York State Tobacco Control Program, with the common goal of increasing the availability of Smoke-Free multi-unit Housing throughout New York State.

4 This work provides educational materials only and does not constitute and cannot be relied upon as legal advice. New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Summary It is very likely that you are able to identify the odor of secondhand tobacco smoke when you come across it. However, are you aware that the secondhand smoke drifting into your apartment may pose a threat to the health of you and your family? As a Class A carcinogen, secondhand smoke has been classified within the same category as asbestos, benzene and arsenic. Accordingly, you may want to protect yourself and your family by reducing or eliminating your exposure to secondhand smoke in your home.

5 First, learn the facts about secondhand smoke . For example: Secondhand smoke is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop asthma, bronchitis or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke for even a short period of time suffer immediate damage to their cardiovascular systems. Next, look for solutions. The most effective means of eliminating secondhand smoke exposure in a multi-unit building is to establish a Smoke-Free policy. Landlords may legally adopt such policies to prevent smoking in common areas and individual units, just as they can prohibit other disruptive or dangerous behavior.

6 Not only is such a policy likely to be attractive to New York tenants (as evidenced by recent surveys), but it may also reduce the landlord's costs for maintenance and insurance. If smoking occurs in common areas of the building, contact the New York Department of health to find out if the Clean Indoor Air Act requires those places to remain Smoke-Free . The New York State Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking in any indoor place of employment. Therefore, if your landlord employs cleaning crews or other staff, any area in which they work must remain Smoke-Free . For more information or to file a complaint, call 1-866-NYS CLEAN.

7 (1 866-697-2532) or visit If your landlord is unwilling to establish a Smoke-Free policy in your building, there are measures you can take to protect yourself and your family. First begin by speaking to neighbors who smoke in your building. Inform them that secondhand smoke is seeping into your apartment and work together to implement an amicable solution. Second, you can ask your landlord to seal holes or cracks that allow smoke to infiltrate your unit. Although such measures have not been shown to completely eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke , they may help reduce the amount of smoke that infiltrates into your unit. Finally, you should educate yourself about your legal right to a safe living environment.

8 While litigation should be a last resort, it is important for you to know how the law may protect you. More about these solutions may be found in this Guide . 1. New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Secondhand smoke is more than a nuisance. It's a serious health hazard. Many people are unaware that the secondhand smoke entering their apartments from other units is actually harmful to their health . smoke from one unit travels to neighboring units and common areas under doors, through cracks in the walls and floors, around light fixtures, plumbing and electrical outlets and through heating and ventilation ducts. Once inside the unit, secondhand smoke lingers in the air for Secondhand smoke is more than a nuisance: Secondhand smoke is responsible for the deaths of approximately 46,000 adults from heart disease, and 3,400 adults from lung cancer annually in the United It contains more than 7,000 chemicals, and more than 70 of them are The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers secondhand smoke a Class A carcinogen,4 and the Surgeon General has stated that there is no risk- free level of exposure to secondhand smoke .

9 5. Secondhand smoke has serious health consequences for nonsmokers: Even short-term exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases the risk for heart Secondhand smoke increases nonsmokers' risk of developing heart disease and lung cancer by 20 to 30 In children, secondhand smoke can cause ear and respiratory infections, increase the frequency and severity of asthma attacks, and increase the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).8. In addition to the harms caused by secondhand smoke , nearly 1,000 people in the United States die each year in fires caused by health and engineering experts agree that the only way to eliminate the health risks associated with indoor exposure to secondhand smoke is to prohibit all smoking Both the Surgeon General and Department of Housing and Urban Development have issued publications encouraging the adoption of Smoke-Free policies in multi-unit 2.

10 New York Tenants' Guide to Smoke-Free Housing Taking Immediate Action Although secondhand smoke cannot be completely eliminated from a multi-unit building without implementing a Smoke-Free policy, there are measures that tenants and landlords can take to reduce smoke infiltration. Tenants can take the following steps to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke : Keep in mind that smokers may not realize that secondhand smoke is drifting into others'. apartments or common areas. You can approach neighbors who smoke and make them aware of the issue. Ask for their help in reducing your exposure. If someone is smoking inside his apartment, ask him to consider smoking outside.


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